release note

Description

Release 4.0A contains the following changes and new features in
the information system:

1. SD customer hierarchies in
reports:
The customer hierarchies that you define in Customizing for Sales
and Distribution can be displayed hierarchically in drilldown
lists.
If different sales areas are used in one hierarchy, you must
specify a sales area in the report (or form) definition.

2. Aggregating value fields with
"Average" and "Last":
In CO-PA drilldown reports, you can use the aggregation rules AVG
"Average" and LAS "Last". These value fields are defined in
Customizing for Profitability Analysis. Example: number of
employees.
In line item reports, no totals are displayed for these value
fields.

3. Master data hierarchies (CO-PA
only):
Master data hierarchies, which previously could only be defined in
SAP-EIS, can now also be defined and displayed in Profitability
Analysis).
The system checks the authorization object "SAP-EIS authorizations
for hierarchies (K_KC_HI) before allowing you to maintain
hierarchies. To display reports containing hierarchies, you need
display authorization for the relevant hierarchy variant.
The necessary authorizations are contained in the profile
K_RKE_ALL.

4. Multiple currencies in
costing-based CO-PA:
If you are storing data in two currency types in your operating
concern:

a) A new dialog box appears when you
define basic reports or forms. This dialog box lets you specify
whether you want to define the report or form using the operating
concern currency or using both the operating concern currency and
the company code currency. In the latter case, you need to specify
which currency type you want to use for each key figure.
Once you have decided whether to use the operating concern currency
or both currencies, you cannot change this anymore in the report or
form definition.

b) The standard layouts for line item
reports display the currency type of each line item.

5. Use of summarization levels and
summarization data together (CO-PA only)
You can activate summarization data for individual reports in order
to improve performance. If a suitable summarization level already
exists for the report, the system selects the summarization data
from the summarization level.
The menu option "Extras -> Performance" is for this purpose. The
menu options "Summarization level" and "Summarization data" no
longer exist. The settings you previously made there now fall under
"Performance".

6. Line item list (CO-PA only):
You can now display line items using the ABAP List Viewer. This
makes the following functions available:

a) Conditions in the line item
list

b) Sorting according to more than one
characteristic

c) Totals and subtotals

d) Scrolling by column

e) Displaying and hiding of
fields

The line items layouts from Release
3.0 are still supported. The layouts of the ABAP List Viewer are
not supported.

7. Report execution using selection
variants:
You can use selection variants to make it easier to execute
reports. Selection options are not supported. The previous
technique of executing reports from dialog boxes is no longer
used.

8. Printing and actualizing reports
(CO-PA and SAP-EIS):
You can no longer print and actualize reports using variable
groups. The variable groups are converted to selection variants.
(See "Converting variable groups" below.)
Variant groups let you group together several selection variants
for different reports. You can then schedule the entire variant
group for background processing.
In Release 4.0A, you need to use the following transactions to
execute reports in the background:

a) Maintain variants
You can save characteristic values and the settings for "Build
summarization levels", "Create summarization data" and "Print" in
ABAP variants.

b) Define variant groups
Here you create the variant group and enter a text.

c) Maintain variant groups
Here you can group together individual variants for several reports
into one variant group.

9. The characteristic "Controlling
area" in reports in account-based Profitability Analysis (CO-PA
only):
Up to now, the system used a SET/GET parameter to find the
controlling area for reports in account-based CO-PA. Consequently,
the reports were executed for the controlling area that was set for
the parameter CAC.
In Release 4.0A, you can select the characteristic "Controlling
area" when you define a report. You must specify a single
characteristic value for the controlling area. A global variable
0KOKRS8 is contained in the standard system to support reports
defined in earlier releases. The system replaces this variable
using the SET/GET parameter when you execute the report. When you
execute the report in the background, you must specify a value for
this variable.
The reports are converted automatically.

10. Global variables
The following replacement types are new:

a) Replacement type 7 - reference
If you use a hierarchy node in a form, you can use this replacement
type to control which hierarchy display is used in the report list.
The system uses the hierarchy display for this node in the report
list. For detailed information, see the F1 help for the field
"Replacement type" where you define global variables.

b) Replacement type 8 - user
parameter from GPA
Using this replacement type, you can replace a variable using the
value of the set/get parameter for the corresponding field.

11. Check for special periods less
rigid (CO-PA and SAP-EIS):
Up to now, the system checked periods as follows when you defined
and reports or defined forms: The period intervals could only
contain either normal periods or special periods.
Example: 1 through 12, 13 through 16 for 12 normal and 4 special
periods.
This restriction no longer applies in Release 4.0A. Period
intervals can now contain both normal and special periods. Example:
1 through 16.

a) Period intervals that span more
than one year (Example: 7/97 through 3/98) thus also include the
special periods, (7/97 through 12/97, 13/97 through 16/97, 1/98
through 3/98).

b) Period intervals within one fiscal
year only contain the explicitly specified periods. Example: 1
through 14 contains the periods 1 through 12 and 13 through
14.

d) Calculating with periods
(three-digit periods):
When you use three-digit periods, you always remain in the same
fiscal year.
Any period +/- n periods: The system subtracts up to the first
period of the fiscal year or adds up to the final special
period.
Example:
12 to 12 + 2 periods: 12, 13, 14
1 - 2 periods up to 2: 1, 2

12. Summarization data and
summarization levels in account-based Profitability Analysis
Release 4.0A supports summarization data and summarization levels
for account-based Profitability Analysis.
For details, see the release note on summarization
levels in account-based Profitability Analysis.
If you use summarization data or summarization levels for your
reports, you should create database indexes for these for tables
COEP and COEJ (see the long text of message
KE 538).

14. User-specific authorization
objects - assigning additional aspects (SAP-EIS):
If you create your own authorization object in SAP-EIS, you can now
assign it to additional aspects. This means that you can use the
same authorization object in drilldown reporting or data entry in
more than one aspect.

15. Conversion of reports:
The first time you execute each report that was defined in an
earlier release, the system automatically converts it. This deletes
all the frozen report data and summarization data.

16. Variables groups are converted to
variant groups where possible (CO-PA and EC-EIS only).
You can access this function using the menu "Edit -> Convert
-> Variable groups" in transaction KEMO (CO-PA) or KCW0
(SAP-EIS). This converts the variable groups to variant groups, and
changes the single entries in the variable groups to variants. The
variant groups have the same name as the corresponding variable
group, while the individual variants are numbered
consecutively.
In the frame at the top, enter the reports and variable groups you
want to convert.
In the other fields, you can enter information for printing,
freezing report data, and checking exceptions (SAP-EIS) or
rebuilding summarization data (CO-PA). This information is included
in the variant. You can set these switches just like the settings
for programs RKEBATCH (CO-PA in Release 3.0) and RKCBATCH (SAP-EIS
in 3.0). In CO-PA, the "read mode" option (currentness of data in
3.0) for summarization data and summarization levels is no longer
supported. You need to make this setting in the report definition
using the function "Performance...".
You can convert variable groups as often as you want, since they
are not deleted. If you repeat the conversion, the system continues
counting the variants created by this. This makes it possible to
save one variable group with multiple combinations of settings.
When the function finishes, the system displays a log.

17. inSight for CO-PA:
In 4.0A you can use inSight as an alternative user interface for
CO-PA.